


Better The Devil You Know

by kilojulietsierra



Category: Black Panther (2018), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Action & Romance, Arms dealer, Business, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, Guns, Money, Oil, Past Relationship(s), Romance, Sexual Tension, Some Plot, South Africa, Texas, World Travel, activities of questionable legality, better the devil you know than the devil you don't, libyan civil war in the background, oil baroness
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-07
Updated: 2018-09-22
Packaged: 2019-07-08 06:35:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,182
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15924884
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kilojulietsierra/pseuds/kilojulietsierra
Summary: Better the devil you know than the devil you don't... that's what Savannah told herself as she listened to the phone line ring and watched the country burn from the plane window.  When his voice came over the phone she wished more than anything there was somebody else that could get her what she needed.. But, it was him and only him...





	1. Chapter 1

Chapter One - February 2011 Sarir Oil Fields, Libya

~~~~~~~

“You are the slimiest, skeeziest, most no good, traitorous piece of shit I have ever met! And that is saying something!”

Klaue stared back at her blankly, with that shit eating grin on his face. “Is this about the other night? Because…”

“No, you idiot.” She cut him off before he could lob out his excuse. “This is about being here to do a deal with me, then turning around and selling goddamned rocket propelled grenades to the very same rebels that keep blowing up my fucking wells!”

“Savannah, Darling.” He took a stp closer to her only to be blocked by two members of her security team. “It’s just business.”

Across the cramped office of the small, temporary oilfield building the woman nodded with great exaggeration. “Just business…” She circled the desk that separated them, jerked a handgun from the holster of one of the guards and shoved between the two to press the muzzle against the arms dealers forehead.

He chuckled, brow creased, dimples formed in his cheeks. “You really are breathtaking when you’re angry.” His laughter grew, “Especially that little crease in your forehead, just there.” Klaue giggled, “Reminds me of your father, yeah?” He began to laugh in earnest then, even as she cocked back the hammer on the guards 1911 and pressed harder. He sobered after a bit, the laughter subsided, but the smirk was still there, gold teeth and all. “Come now love, you wouldn’t shoot me.”

A grin spread across her face as well and it revealed her own little hint of crazy. She set the hammer back in its resting position and lowered the weapon. “You’re right.” She walked back to her desk and set the gun down with a thunk before she set her gaze on the wall of black smoke that was the burning oil fields. Her expression was venomous when she turned back to him. “But, I would happily auction off the opportunity to the highest bidder.” Savannah turned her back, the window held her attention once again, “Lord knows I’m gonna need the money. But…Lucky for you, I’m a nice lady.” Without so much as a spare glance she barked at the guards, “Get him the fuck out of here before I do something I’ll regret.”

~~~~~~~


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shit is going down in Libya! So, Savannah is on the run. She's working on a plan to fight for and keep what is hers even if it means talking to somebody she swore never to speak to again.

Chapter Two - July 17, 2014 Tripoli, Libya

Savannah shoved a blind handful of clothes into a backpack and glanced frantically around the room for her headscarf.

“Miss Thorne, we need to go. Now!”

“I’m coming!” She found the piece of fabric draped over the chair in the corner and she snatched it up, putting it on with one hand as she grabbed her laptop and shoved it in the bag with the other. “Okay, call the pilot.” She slung the backpack over her shoulder. “I’m ready, let’s go.”

Security officers, one in front and two behind, escorted her out of the hotel at a jog and to the waiting vehicle. The streets were filled with locals running, yelling, chanting, guns firing both at people and into the air. Smoke pillars were scattered around the skyline and jets flew overhead. The week before nearly 300 government officials and employees had been killed in Benghazi, militias had been batting over the airport in Tripoli for nearly a weak and the State Department was preparing to evacuate its employees from the US Embassy.

At the private gate they were stopped by the militia that currently held control of the airport, but they let Savannah and her car through after a substantial bribe. She breathed a sigh of relief as they approached her plane and she saw that it was not one of the dozens on fire. There was no true relaxation until the jet was in the air and out of Tripoli air space. Her headscarf had fallen to reveal her hair but she left it, it was only a disguise, something to keep her from drawing more attention than absolutely necessary. An American in Libya was a prime target. As were any American operated oil wells.

She couldn’t count how many burned on the desert floor beneath her, the blanket of thick black smoke was too dense.

“Ma’am are you sure you want to land?” The pilot asked over his shoulder as he circled.

He had circled the oil field three more times before she answered, “No, Rick. Let’s just go home.” The words tasted more toxic than the smoke below them. She continued to stare as the plane eased out of it’s banking maneuver and reoriented south. “Who’s still down there?”

Her head of security, Kristoffer, sat across the table, “Most of my team is still on the ground Miss Thorne. We’ll hold it.”

Her burning oil no longer visible from her window she slouched into her leather seat and faced him, “Hold it well enough to get fire crews in there and put the wells out?”

When Kristoffer didn’t answer right away it didn’t bode well, “We can hold, but limited firepower, limited manpower. We’ll be on the defense, not the offense.”

Savannahs eyes hardened, as dark and smothering as the smoke that now haunted her waking life. “That’s not how I play.”

~~~~~~~

July 17, 2014 Somewhere Over the Central African Republic

“At this point, say we get the wells put out and capped. How long before the next coup, the next militia or some scraggle of rebels comes along and blows them again? The oil is more valuable in the ground than it is in a pillar of hellfire.”

Savannah glared at her business manager on the screen in front of her, “No, it’s more valuable in a tanker on its way to Europe.”

“Sell it.”

“Nobody is going to buy on oilfield that’s burning up all it’s oil. Nobody is going to buy an oilfield in Libya period. That’s why we are there! It’s the cheapest most abundant reserve in the world, with the least competition. My father drilled there for decades, I’m not going to lose it just because of some pissing match between regime’s. It’s Africa for fucks sake, this shit happens every day.”

“If you just called to yell, I’m hanging up now.”

“Hang up and you’ll be managing a Whataburger off I-45.” She snorted derisively and sipped on her whiskey.

Her manager snorted back, “Well at least there wouldn’t be terrorist groups trying to takeover my Whataburger.”

Savannah crunched a piece of ice and cocked a slightly less than perfect eyebrow. “Have you ever been to Houston? You never know.” She chuckled dryly to herself. “Options Reed, give me options. Other than selling.”

The man on the videochat fiddled with his pen and and tapped at a key on his laptop repeatedly. “Well, I mean my first suggestion is to get more security on the ground so we can at least get fire crews in. But, like you said, you don’t have the men or the arms.”

“Men and guns can be bought.” Savannah glanced to the four, strapping examples lounging around the cabin of her private jet.

“Okay, well, do that.”

“As much as I hate telling you this; you are right. Cap the wells, some goat herder is just going to blow them up again.” She finished her drink and let another ice cube fall into her mouth, crunching it as she thought. A habit she knew Reed hated, which only made it more enjoyable for her. “What is there for… new well heads, derricks, caps, rigs… something, some sort of advancement maybe, that makes them less vulnerable to attacks?”

The video feed glitched a few times before he answered, “I don’t think manufacturers build their drilling equipment to be terrorist proof.”

Savannah stood up and spun the laptop towards the planes mini galley, where she was heading. She raised her voice as she made herself another drink. “No, but they do make them safer. Less likely to blow out, more stable during the drilling process, more efficient. OSHA be damned but someone somewhere makes… something… we can repurpose. Unbreakable steel, self cooling drill stem or pipes, a fucking force field I don’t know…” She trailed off, filling her glass to the top in the process. “Fuck.” She twisted the cap back on the whiskey bottle and took a drink on her way back to her seat.

“Maybe Tony Stark has something we can use.” Reed laughed at his own joke.

“Oh please, Stark wouldn’t come near us with a ten foot pole and a NDA. I like the way you think though.”

Reed paused, “You mean… go superhero or go scientist?”

Savannah cleared her throat, realizing she had forgot the Coke for her whiskey and cola. “Find me a nerd. Someone working on, something we can apply to this. If they want research funding, labs, resources, whatever. Find me someone and I’ll make a deal.”

~~~~~~~

July 17, 2014 Somewhere Over the Democratic Republic of the Congo

“We’ll be stopping to refuel at Kisangani Miss Thorne. Then we’ll stop at your site in Angola to top off before we head for Joburg.”

“Dumbo?” Savannah sat up from the ‘nap’ she had been taking on the couch.

“Yes ma’am, I’ve already radioed ahead so they’ll have the fuel truck ready when I call in to land.”

“You’re the best Rick.” She stood up and stretched.

“That’s why I work for you ma’am.” He chuckled to himself as he set back to the controls.

Savannah chuckled too as she dug through the snack cupboard. She had just opened a package of jerky when her video call notification lit up her laptop screen. One of the guards was playing online Texas Hold ‘Em and glanced up at her. “Who is it?” She walked around to look over his shoulder. He was playing with two Queens in his hand and another on the table lined up between two eights and the seven of spades.

“It’s Reed Miss Thorne.” He looked back to the screen as it was his turn to call or fold.

Savannah nodded, “Let it ring.”

The guard smiled and nodded as he clicked the button to ‘call’. The online players showed their cards and his Queens over eights took the pot. Nearly $2,000 American dollars. Savannah patted him on the back as he cashed out and stood up from the seat so she could answer the video call.

“Reed, do you have good news for me?”

“How desperate are you?”

She slouched back in her seat and gnawed on a piece of jerky, “That’s not what I want to hear.”

“I know, but hear me out. The superhero thing got me thinking…”

“Oh Lord give me strength.”

Before she could continue her lamenting Reed cut her off. “Vibranium.”

All that could be heard was the hum of the jet and Savannahs chewing.

Reed took that as his leave to continue, “I found a young research scientist in Germany, at the Technical Institute of Munich, that has been working on a theory that if blended with structural and manufacturing grade steel, Vibranium could reduce Industrial accidents by nearly 80%. I’ve been looking into this guy for hours, squeaky clean, super nerd, he’s perfect.”

“Where’s he get the vibranium? Its… you can’t get it.”

“That’s just it, this is all theory! He’s never had any to work with… So, if a certain wealthy business owner were to come forward and…”

“Offer to supply him with vibranium he might just be grateful enough to say… Build us indestructible oil wells?”

Reed’s smile bordered on manic and Savannah realized it must be nearly three in the morning at the main office in Dallas.

“Great idea except I don’t have any.” She ripped a piece of jerky in half and shoved it in her mouth. “None that isn’t already being used.” She added around a mouthful of teriyaki jerky.

“No, but you’ve gotten it before.

Savannah chewed. “Fuck me sideways. Is this really our best option?”

“It’s our only option hun.” Reed looked as tired as she felt.

“Fuck… Fuck… Fuckity fuck, fuck, fuck. Fuck it. Call him. Put him on a plane to Johannesburg muy pronto. Tell him whatever he needs, it’s paid for.” Savannah slammed the lid of her laptop much harder than necessary. It didn’t even make her feel any better. Instead she grabbed a water bottle off the seat next to her and threw it at the lavatory door as hard as she could. “Fuck!”

Her security team remained silent, waiting.

“Kristoffer, tell your boys to hold the fields no matter what and that they’re all on time and a half pay until I get back.”

“Yes ma’am.” He walked to his gear bag and pulled out the satellite phone, ready to give orders.

Savannah waited patiently for him to finish and then took the phone from. She dialed a very familiar number. A number she had sworn she would never dial again. If her way of life did not depend on this phone call she would have hung up as soon as she heard his voice.

“Yeah?

“Ulysses?”

She closed her eyes and counted her breaths as the line remained silent. Then, the sniggering began. Slowly and almost too quiet to hear until it grew to the point she held the phone away from her and considered ripping off the emergency exit door and throwing it out. “Hello Annah, Love.” He chuckled some more, “Tell me you need me.”

Her hand closed around the sat sphone like a vice. Her eyes screwed shut and her molars ground together. But, she collected herself and spoke, “I need you Lee.”

~~~~~~~


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three - July 17, 2014 Outside Manguzi, South Africa

“Who was that boss?”

Ulysses Klaue smiled like the madman he was, ”An old girlfriend.” Still with the smile plastered on his face he turned back to the two men on their knees. “Yes, she wants to get together tomorrow, when she gets into town. Which is good news for you two.” He pointed his own pistol at the men who each had AK-47s pointed at the backs of their heads.

The terrified pair shared a truly lost look, faces sweaty and hands still bound behind their backs.

“Yes! I’m in a very much better mood now and so, I will let you go. This one time with a warning.”

“Really? Are you serious?”

“He questions me? I spare your life and you question me? Yes really, go now, get in your car and leave!” He waves to the mercenaries behind them, “Cut them loose, let them go.”

After a moments pause the two, previously doomed, men scrambled to their feet and fled to their car parked across the dirt lot. The car spun its tires and threw gravel as they sped away.

Klaue gave the order to his men to load up and as they headed back to their own vehicles Ulysses holstered his weapon and pulled out a small transmitter, the button of which detonated the fleeing vehicle, killing its two occupants in a fiery explosion. He could not keep the smile off his face if he tried, “I am having such a great day! Let’s go!”

~~~~~~~

July 18, 2014 Johannesburg, South Africa

It was early when the town car arrived for him, before seven. His eyes were still blurry from lack of sleep but Marcel could not help but stare, wide eyed, at the mansions they passed on their way to meet this Miss Thorne. Nearly half an hour later the driver pulled up to a large estate with a gated entrance and the knots started to form in his stomach.

He had assumed Miss Thorne had money, anyone that made a living in the oil business generally lived a social class or two above himself, but her property seemed like something out of a Hollywood movie.

The gate was set off the road, in a white stone wall that blocked the view of the estate from passers by. What the wall didn’t conceal the vast and varying trees and gardens did. The car drove down a long, paved driveway and up to the front door of the first, real mansion he had ever seen up close. The driver opened his door for him and he was immediately greeted by a young girl, no more than twelve or thirteen years old.

She was bright and cheery with a slim face and a close cropped sort of hair cut. She bobbed her head once, “Good morning Mr. Eler. Missy Savannah asks you wait on the veranda. This way.” She smiled and nodded several more times before leading him through the front door.

The first thing he saw upon entering the house was the very large and stoic man that held the door open for them. The second was a baby grand piano set on a zebra skin rug with a wall of windows as a backdrop. He didn’t have time to look around much, though he tried. The walls were covered in paintings and tapestries, with hides and trophy mounts scattered among them. The aroma of incense and oils filled his nose as the house girl shuttled him through the foyer, past a formal dining room, then the casual dining area off the kitchen where the incense were overpowered by a dark and bitter smelling coffee, then a large sitting room furnished in grays, whites and jewel tones, all before finally coming to an outdoor dining area.

When the girl pulled out a chair for him he had to force his eyes away from the expansive backyard. Surrounded on three sides by more trees and gardens of flowers and vegetables. Grassy, amphitheater steps to his left led to a lower part of the yard, which held a narrow lap pool with precisely placed fountains all along the waters edge to create a mesmerizing pattern in the ripples on the pools surface. He barely got out a, “Thank you.” before the girl had disappeared back into the house. So engrossed he had become in taking in the immaculate landscaping and architecture of the home, he nearly jumped when another woman came to the patio with a tray.

“Coffee and sweet tea.” This woman was older, her skin dark and her hair a seemingly impossible nest of braids. “Which would you like?”

“Oh, uh coffee is fine. Thank you.” He smiled graciously as he accepted the cup and nearly choked at the bitterness of his first sip.

The woman laughed and set two small jars on the table in front of him, “Sugar. Cream.” She pointed to each one in turn and then picked up her tray to leave.

Marcel took a spoonful of sugar and then a second. He tried another sip and still made a face.

“Sorry, I take it a little strong. Even by local standards.”

He jumped to his feet at the sound of another woman behind him, this one with a heavy southern accent. Marcel turned, coffee cup still in hand, to find a beautiful, young woman chuckling at him and taking a cup of coffee for herself. 

She said something to the woman, in a language Marcus didn’t understand, with a smile and a wink before she turned to face him. “Didn’t mean to startle you. I’m Savannah Thorne.” She stepped forward and extended a hand, “Thank you so much for coming, I know it was… inconvenient.”

“No, no.” He set his coffee cup down and shook her hand in both of his. “I’m thrilled at the opportunity, really, truly I am. No, inconvenience at all. Honestly, it’s worth it enough just to see this.” He released her hand to gesture to the estate.”You have a remarkable home, Miss Thorne.”

Miss Thorne rewarded him with a brilliant smile, “Happy to hear it, and thank you. I am quite proud of it myself.” She took a sip of the coffee and hummed in appreciation. “It belonged to my mothers family, but I’ve added and updated here and there. If you’d like we could walk and discuss our business rather than sit? They’re working some of the polo ponies down by the barn, if you’d like to see.”

Why he was surprised there was a stable he didn’t know, but he nodded. “Sounds like a great idea.”

“Perfect.” She stepped back into the wide open sitting room and called into the kitchen, “Isisa!” She said something else in the language and then waved as she joined him back on the patio. “Come on, let’s talk about these great ideas of yours that I’ve heard so much about.”

~~~~~~~

Klaue glanced around him as he and his men exited their two vehicles. Before they could knock, the heavy wooden door swung open to reveal a tall, heavyset fellow that seemed to be a part of Savannahs security team. He said nothing, only led them into the foyer and to the sitting room immediately to their right. Here another guard stood with his back to the patio doors, “You will wait here.”

The guard that had opened the door left them to make themselves comfortable. The cook brought in a tray of the southern style sweet tea Savannah was so fond of and the men helped themselves. Ulysses pulled his sunglasses off to hang in the front of his shirt and wandered the sitting room looking at the decor, poking and prodding pieces as he went. He stopped in a front of a Cape Buffalo trophy mounted to the wall, “Oh, I remember this one.”

He only had to wait a few more minutes before the guard returned. “You come. The rest of you stay.” The guard jerked his head down the hall as a signal for klaue to follow.

They passed through the relatively empty house and out to the back patio. His eyes had been focused on picking out guards from regular staff and locating security cameras. Which is why he missed a beat when he first saw her walking towards them. He only wasted five seconds determining the man walking with her was not a threat in any way and then focused all his attention on Annah.

Her hair was lighter, sun bleached, not dyed. She had it french braided back into a high ponytail that bounced and swayed as she walked. Her clothes were simple; a plain white tank top that fit her perfectly and a bright, printed skirt that just barely brushed the ground with each stride. The morning sun glinted off the necklaces that bounced against her chest as well as the rings on her fingers and her toes.

Ulysses couldn’t stop himself from smiling at the sight of her strolling her estate barefoot and adorned like some sort of gypsy goddess.

When she noticed him she did not smile. Instead she placed a hand on her walking companions shoulder and seemed to tell him to wait there. Savannah through a sideways glance towards Klaue as she ducked into the house only to return quickly with one of the young house girls. The girl took the man into the house and then Savannah approached them, “Pat him down.”

Klaue chuckled as he spread his arms out wide and stood still to be searched.

The guard pulled the pistol from his back and held it up for her to see, “That’s it.” 

Savannah nodded, but before she could speak Ulysses took the opportunity, “I’d just like to point out that the last time you and I were together you were the one that pulled a gun on me.”

She scowled and sarcastically hiked her skirt up high. High enough to show the spandex shorts she wore underneath. No thigh holster. Then she dropped the hem back to the ground before she lifted the bottom of her shirt and turned a circle to show she had nothing in her waistband. “Feel better?”

“Much.” Ulysses grinned as he watched the guard walk off with his handgun and leave the two of them alone in the backyard.

For a moment they simply stared, sized each other up after a few years of absence. “Rollin’ a little deep for a meeting with an old friend?” She gestured to the lower yard and started in that direction.

He assumed to avoid the ears of her saff and both of the security as much as possible. “Like I said, last time…” He let the rest of the sentence fall off as they started down the grass covered steps. “So what’s the matter? Can’t find anyone that can satisfy you needs like I can?” Klaue smiled and stopped three steps from the bottom, forcing her to look up at him.

It only worked for a second as she turned and continued down the stairs. She shook the bead bracelets on her left wrist back into place, “Sure, let's go with that.” Savannah spared him a second glance before moving to sit in one of the adirondack chairs beside the pool.

The smile on his face grew the second he saw that familiar tell, an unconscious fidget, barely a tick, but it told him plenty. After he joined her by the pool he slouched back in his own chair and crossed his outstretched legs at the ankles. “Tell me what you need Love.”

It seemed to be physically painful for her but she looked his way and started right into the business at hand, “A dozen cases of M4s, four Barrett 50 cals, all with thermal scopes, a case of SAWs…”She trailed off, took a breath before she continued, “Two dozen extra men, body armor, NVD goggles and sights. Ammo for everything, of course, and I want a Predator. Fully loaded.”

What started as a cheeky smile nearly doubled in size as Ulysses sat up a little straighter in his chair, elbows braced on his knees. “Oh, I love it when you talk dirty.” He shifted his seat slightly to face her better, “But, here’s what I am wondering. Any arms dealer can get you this stuff. Why call me? Not that i’m not happy you did!”

Savannah sat on the edge of her chair, knees crossed, the bridge of her nose pinched between her thumb and forefinger. “There’s one more thing I need.”

His interest peaked Klaue ducked his head, trying to catch her gaze, “Yes?”

After another deep breath she released the pressure point on her nose and faced him, “Vibranium… and someone that knows how to work with it.”

~~~~~~~

Savannah regretted everything as soon as she saw that stupid look on his face. This was a huge mistake, but it was her only choice and far too late to back out now. “Go ahead, hit me with it. What’s this gonna cost me?”

He would not quit smiling and he began rubbing his palms together. He didn’t answer right away, seemed to enjoy her dread and discomfort. “The guns, I have on hand, the men and the gear, I’ll give you for.. Ten percent off street value.” He ignored the shock that crossed her face and continued, “The drone will take some time and it’ll be pricey but I can get it.”

“And the vibranium?” Her eyes were dark and skeptical as she squinted at him, trying to get a read on what game he was playing.

It only made him smile more, “A favor for a favor.”

That had her up and out of her chair, “Oh no, not a chance in hell. Name a price, give me a number and I’ll send you home with it in cash. But, no favors.”

Klaue stayed seated, “No favor? No vibranium. Which is worse? Losing half of your oil wells or doing a favor for, like you said, an old friend.”

Savannah started to pace, her teeth gritted together and she began to regret her poor choice of words earlier. Fuck him and that look on his face. She ignored how he knew the specifics of her predicament and focused on why it pleased him so much. “What’s the favor?”

He stood up, “Do we have a deal?” He took a step towards her, smiled when she stood taller rather than retreat even an inch, extended his hand to shake.

She ignored his hand, choosing instead to stare him down eye to eye, “What’s the favor?”

With a chuckle he let his hand drop but he kept a hold of her gaze. “I have a potential… associate, in town this weekend. He’s skittish, I need help to warm him up and calm his nerves. Something you used to be very good at.”

When he winked Savannah fought the urge to shove him in the pool and hold his head under. But, as loathe as she was to admit it, she needed him and his stupid vibranium. “I want my guns and my men on a plane to Libya by Friday. Drone included.” She was not going to cave in so easy.

Not that that mattered. He had already won and they both knew it. His face said as much. He held his hand out again, closer to her this time, “Deal.”

“Lord give me strength.” She took his hand in hers and gave it a squeeze, Harder than necessary, the way her Daddy had taught her. “Deal.”

Ulysses kept her hand and raised it to his lips so he could drop a kiss on her knuckles, “Beautiful.” When she scowled and jerked her hand away he could only laugh.

~~~~~~


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Words that look like this are spoken in Afrikaans._

Chapter Four - July 21, 2014 Seretse Executive International Airport - Gaborone, South Africa

Savannah had gone back and forth more times than she could count when it came to whether or not she should bring Marcel with her. Now that she glanced at him, asleep in the seat next to her, she knew she had made the wrong decision. She looked back to the news app on her phone and scrolled for a moment before she spoke. Low and soft and in Afrikaans, just in case Marcel was a light sleeper.

_“Why did you let me bring him Kristoffer?”_

Her head of security chuckled under his breath and glanced over his shoulder, _“He needs to meet Klaue if they are to work together.”_

_“Yeah.”_ She locked her phone and dropped it into her lap. _“I should have just taken them both out to coffee.”_

_“He signed the don’t ask, don’t tell papers right? So, if I were him, I would rather see the situation for what it really was.”_

_“Even if it meant learning you were working with people like Klaue and I?”_ She glanced back at Marcel, still asleep.

Kristoffer chuckled again, _“Especially then Boss.”_

She knew Kristoffer was being honest, he always was, even when she didn’t like it. That’s why she trusted him more than anyone else she knew. But, he was a soldier. Marcel was a scholar, a scientist. They saw the world in very different ways.

This was a terrible idea, but she was committed to it and had no choice but to see it through. In the silence she let her eyes slip out of focus as she stared out the cars window at the lights and signs that flashed by in an eclectic but oddly calming rhythm. Soon her mind began to wander and for awhile she forgot about her concerns.

“Miss Thorne.” Kristoffers voice snapped her back to reality. “Pulling in now.”

Savannah blinked several times to focus her vision as she tried to figure out if she had fallen asleep or not. “Klaue?”

“No word yet?”

“The plane?” She checked Marcel, still asleep in the opposite seat, and her phone as they pulled through the gate to the private hangers.

“Waiting for the all clear.” The car was silent until Kristoffer pulled the Range Rover to a stop, next to another identical SUV, in front of the hangar that housed her jet and a few vehicles. He put it in park but left the engine running, headlights directed so they could see anyone approaching from the way they had come. Him opening his door is what startled Marcel awake.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to fall asleep.” He sat up from where his head had fallen against the window and rubbed at his eyes. “Where are we?”

“The airport. You can stay in the car if you want, It could still be awhile.” Savannah climbed out of the Rover without waiting for his answer and walked over to join her men.

Kristoffer held up his phone, “Ten minutes out ma’am.”

Savannah spared a glance back at Marcel as he exited the vehicle. Her and Kristoffer shared a look, “Call the plane, tell them to land.”

“Yes ma’am.”

Marcel came to stand next to her, clearly confused. “I don’t mean to be rude, but…” He glanced about then leaned in closer to her while Kristoffer radioed the pilot, “ Doesn’t the tower tell them when they can land?”

Over the radio Rick called back, “Beginning approach now.”

Kristoffer motioned for two of the men to kill the cars headlights before he gave the pilot the all clear.

“And how can they land without the runway lights?”

Before Savannah could answer, not that she had hurried to do so, a distant hum washed over them. It grew steadily in volume and in pitch until a black mass, barely darker than the night sky, appeared to the north and the huge cargo plane landed on the runway in front of them.

“Holy shit!” Marcel stumbled back a few steps, much to the amusement of the security team.

Savannah kept her chuckles to herself as they all stood and waited for the plane to taxi into position. As the C-130 coasted to a stop and the engines slowed, a string of headlights appeared at the private gate. She nodded to her three men, “Let’s get this shit loaded and out of here before the rent-a-cops finish their coffee break.”

As the tarmac was lit up, once again, in the headlights of their two Rovers, and the two cars and large truck Klaue had brought with him, Marcel came back to her side. “This is why you had me sign the non-disclosure.”

She crossed her arms and looked at him sideways, “It’s just supplies.” The two of them watched as Klaue and his right hand man approached. Savannah stepped into the headlights and nodded to Klaue but greeted the other man first, “Mantso! Hujambo, my friend?.” She extended her hand to him as he approached.

Mantso took her hand with a smile and held it tight, “Sijambo.” He squeezed her hand once more before he stepped aside to let his employer approach.

Where she had greeted Mantso as a friend she scowled at Ulysses, arms crossed and feet braced shoulder width apart. “You got everything?”

Klaue looked her over slowly, eyes coming to rest on the heeled boots she wore. Not pointy little things but substantial, comfortable enough to stand and get around in. Also just tall enough that Ulysses would have to look up at her if he stood too close. This made him chuckle as he responded, “It’s all there, Love.” He nodded at her expectantly, his own arms crossed as he copied her stance.

She took her phone from her back pocket and began swiping and tapping. A minute later she extended her arm to show him the screen.

Klaue looked at it and nodded but did not move or speak, simply rocked back and forth on his feet until a phone buzzed. He smiled and pulled it from his cargo pants pocket and nodded again before he turned to the men standing by the truck and whistled. “Load it up!”

While both of their men set to loading the cargo hold of the plane Savannah made sure to keep herself between Klaue and Marcel for the time being. Until Klaue handed her a crudely folded collection of papers. _“This the favor?”_ When Klaue nodded she took a deep breath and shoved the papers in the back pocket of her jeans without so much as a glance. “Ulysses, this is Marcel Eler. He’s the one I told you about.”

Savannah watched the two meet like a tourist watches a car wreck in a foreign country. She kept her expression schooled but inside she was panicking. They talked politely, almost jovial actually. Like two nerds talking about their shared love. She let her eyes wander to the crates being loaded onto her cargo plane and let a smile slip when she saw the one labeled UAV. He had actually found her a drone, in less than a week.

When she looked back to Ulysses and Marcel, the former was watching her and not the young man he was speaking with. He winked, gave her a far too familiar smile and then focused his attention on the scientist once again.

Annoyed she replaced her smile with a scowl and turned back just in time to see a second, identical, crate with UAV in the serial number be carried onto the plane. She didn’t have to look at him this time, she could feel his eyes on her and refused to give him the satisfaction. Instead she interrupted, “So, the vibranium?”

Ulysses continued to grin, his gaze locked on her and did not waver. _“First the favor. Then you will have it.”_

She glanced at Marcel, who was clearly confused, and then scowled back at Klaue. _“I will contact you when it is done.”_

“Oh,” He stepped towards her then, indeed having to look up at her slightly, and kissed her on the cheek, _“I’ll know when it’s done. Trust me.”_ Klaue switched back to English and ignored the fuming Savannah to shake Marcels hand, “Good to meet you, we will talk soon, yeah?” With one last wink at Savannah he left them to rejoin his men as they finished up loading the plane.

As Klaue and his mercenaries pulled out of the airport Marcel waved, even in the dark, and remarked, “He seems like a nice guy. Odd, but nice.”

Savannah stared at her plane as it taxid back to the runway and powered up its engines for take off. She yelled over the roar, “Doesn’t mean I’d loan him my bank card. Let’s go.” She patted him on the back and climbed back into the Rover as soon as her security returned.

~~~~~~~

July 22, 2014 - Savannah’s home - Johannesburg, South Africa

Kristoffer knocked on her door at exactly five till eight. “Car is ready Miss Thorne.”

She stood up and opened the door to him before gathering her things. With one last look at the papers Klaue had given her and a quick check in the mirror she followed him out of her master suite to the front of the house. In the kitchen she stopped him with a grip on his elbow, “Why don’t you go home. Go grab a bottle of good wine from the cellar and spend the evening with Molly.”

“Ma’am I- I really think I should go..” He stammered at the idea of leaving her unattended but she cut him off.

“I mean it. It’s a restaurant, Marcel is coming with me, it’s all stuffy rich people. I’ll be fine.”

“Marcel isn’t going. We took him to the warehouse a couple hours ago. Said he wanted to get to work.”

“On what? He doesn’t have anything to work with!” Savannah cocked an eyebrow and shook her head, “Okay, well then. You should still go ahead and go home. Jozeph is driving me, he can stick around and if anything happens he can handle it.”

He seemed to consider an argument but decided against it, “If you’re sure Miss Thorne. Thank you.”

“Very sure. Tell her I say hi.” She gave him a smile and walked herself to the front door and out to the driveway where she found Jozeph waiting with the car. When she caught the look Kristoffer through the other guard Savannah turned back to him, “I will behave, I promise. Just a few drinks and home before curfew.” She winked at him as she slid into the backseat.

July 22, 2014 - The Island Bar at Hyde Park Sandton - Johannesburg, South Africa

“Good evening Miss Thorne.” The doorman welcomed her as she stepped from the car, “You look lovely this evening. Can I call you an elevator for the whiskey lounge?”

“Thank you.” She gave him a sincere smile as he walked her to the doors of the lobby. “Up to the pool actually.”

The doorman nodded and spoke discreetly into a Bluetooth and by the time he had escorted her to the bay of elevators one opened. He held the doors and reached inside to pressed the appropriate button, “Have a good evening Miss Thorne.”

Savannah handed the man a hundred dollar bill with a smile, “Thank you so much, I will.” She watched the floors pass, including the one that housed the Whiskey and Cigar Bar which was her normal reason for visiting the Sandton.

When the elevators opened Savannah tightened her pony tail and walked to the hostess waiting at the end of the hall. “Hi, just one for the deck.”

“Of course. Would you like to reserve a car?”

“No thank you I have my own.” Savannah slid her sunglasses back on as the hostess opened the door.

“Perfect. Enjoy!” The hostess held the door for her with an excellent customer service smile.

Once she was out on the deck Savannah surveyed the crowd and was pleasantly surprised to find exactly who she was looking for standing at the bar, desperately trying to get the bartender’s attention.

It was still early and the sun was in no hurry to go down so the pool and deck was the place to be tonight. Savannah worked her way through the crowd, only being waylaid once by an acquaintance, and came up to stand at the bar next to her person of interest.

She seemed nice enough. Short like herself, tiny, blonde and cute and way out of her depth. She had also overdressed a bit, but she looked nice. Helpless. But nice. Savannah made a point of standing next to her for a moment, staring at the crowded bar. “Have you been waiting long?”

The blonde jerked her head sideways a little shocked. “Umm, a bit yeah. Didn’t expect it to be so busy.”

“What’s your drink?”

She still looked a little caught off guard, “A glass of white.”

With a nod and a reassuring smile Savannah took the womans hand and slid through a gap up to the bar. “Tandie!” She called and held up her hand.

Seconds later a bartender appeared. “Annah! Aweh!” He stretched long, lean arms over the bar to give her a hug which she returned.

“Howzit huh?” Savannah pushed her sunglasses back up on her head.

“Good, good and busy.” He gestured to the busy deck, “You want something special tonight? Or your regular?”

Savannah turned to the blonde in the pretty dress. “Feeling brave?”

After a pause she smiled and nodded vigorously, “Sure. Why not?”

Tandie clapped his hands together and smiled like the devil himself, “Excellent! Start a tab?”

Annah handed him a folded up hundred dollar bill and a credit card with a wink, “You got my card number memorized yet?”

“Soon enough I will, you know it!” He took the cash and card and disappeared to make the drinks.

“I’m Savannah.” She extended her hand, pausing a moment to shake her bracelets out from the sleeve of her blazer.

“Mandy. Thank you for the drink, you really didn’t have to do that.”

“Oh, no worries. Besides you might want to wait and taste it first. He’s a great bartender but you better have a car service lined up to take you home.” Savannah laughed at her own joke as her eyes scanned the bar area.

Mandy chuckled too, nervously, “That might be a good thing tonight. I need to relax.”

Before Savannah could respond Tandie returned. “Here. Two strawberry daiquiris… with a dirty secret…” He laughed as he handed them over.

Savannah just shook her head. “Thank you my friend. If I survive this, I’ll be back.” She took a sip and was pleasantly surprised. As she moved away from the bar she glanced around, “You here by yourself?”

“Oh, no my husband is here with me.” Mandy took a drink and made a funny face and then took a second sip. “But he’s off somewhere talking business.”

“Well perfect, you can keep me company.” Savannah switched her drink to her right hand and offered Mandy her elbow to link like they had been friends since middle school. And of course she took it. Poor girl. Savannah led them out of the bar and onto the actual deck, searching for and eventually finding a spot by the railing.

“I’m sorry but, I have to ask, you can’t be from here?” Mandy asked, her lips hovering over her straw.

“Well, yes actually, and no. I’m American, if that’s what you mean, Texan actually, but my Mom is from here.” Savannah took a sip of her own drink.

“Oh wow. I mean, your accent kind of gives away the Texas bit, but, so you grew up here too?”

“Mhmm. We lived on the ranch during the school year and then spent the summers here. My mother’s family had an estate towards the edge of the city, which is where I live now. Unless I’m in Texas or travelling for work.” Savannah hated oversharing, but it was effective.

“I couldn’t even imagine growing up like that! It must have been a real adventure.” She was hooked already.

“You could say that.” Savannah took a drink and hit a pocket of mostly straight rum. “So, you’re an American too? Y’all’re here on business I take it?”

“Yes, and well sort of… Shawn has an opportunity to expand one of his little side enterprises and he says this is the best place to do it.”

Savannah nodded deeply, “But you’re not so sure?”

Her new friend was silent for a couple minutes and several more sips. “I grew up in Wyoming of all places so moving to DC was bad enough. I’m not sure about another country entirely!”

“I can understand that, but like you said, it’d be quite the adventure.” Annah took a drink, “You said DC, is your husband in politics?”

She seemed reluctant to answer. Savannah already knew why. “He’s actually a lobbyist, but don’t hold it against him.”

Savannah smiled around her straw. “I would never! Lobbyists are some of my favorite people? What’s his specialty?”

Mandy looked shocked again, but more and more comfortable by the second, even in the floor length dress that was far too much for the crowd around them. “Oil and natural gas.” She let the words out low and slow, like she hated the way they tasted.

WIth a glance across the pool Savannah smiled and turned back to Mandy, “Well he sounds like someone I’d like to meet. But, I just saw an old friend of mine over there by the corner of the pool and I really should go say hi.” She pointed vaguely in that direction and waited.

“Oh ok..Oh. You mean the man there? With his sleeves rolled up?” When Savannah nodded Mandy smiled again, “That’s my husband he’s speaking to.”

After a long, very rummy drink, Savannah returned the young womans smile, “Really? It is a small world.”

~~~~~~~

He had seen her the second she walked in and he had to fight to keep at least half of his attention on his potential, new business associate. She had worn a pair of jean shorts and a grey T-shirt with a black blazer and black, knee high boots. He wasn’t sure if it was wishful thinking or not but Ulysses swore he recognized that particular pair of boots and they were paired with a very fond memory.

His focus shifted back to the man in front of him but he kept an eye on her all the same. Watched her work and enjoyed the view. She had seen him too, glanced his way occasionally and when she finally pointed in his general direction his heart jumped into his throat for a moment.

Savannah arrived a moment later with her new friend and their matching drinks and played her part perfectly. “Crazy who you run into in the big city!” She leaned towards him and they exchanged a one armed hug and a kiss to each others cheeks. Something that surprised him.

“Yes, well, if you didn’t spend all your time hiding out in the desert imagine all the people you would see!” He released her as she took a step back.

Mandy spoke up, slid herself into her husband’s side, “Shawn this is Savannah, Savannah this is my husband Shawn.”

Savannah extended her hand and looked the man in the eye. She had a point to drive home. “Savannah Thorne, nice to meet you.”

The realization was instantaneous, “Thorne? As in Randall Thorne?”

“Yessir, the only daughter.” She released his hand and took a step back.

“Wait, Savannah… S.J. Thorne?”

She clicked her tongue, winked and raised her glass in cheers, “S.J. gets a lot more ‘yes sirs’ in the boardroom than Savannah Jean does.” She took a sip of her drink that didn’t seem to suit her at all, “‘Not that that matters when you’re halfway across the world running things with a checkbook and and email account.” Annah laughed and Ulysses had to physically stop himself from reaching out to grab her by the waist.

Shawns wife looked startled and lost, but Shawn was very much paying attention now. “Honey, how did you happen to find Miss Thorne?”

“Oh, well more like she found me. I was just happy to find someone with an american accent!” She gasped and looked to Ulysses, “I mean no offense!”

He couldn’t help but laugh and play along, “Oh no! Never! I’d much rather listen to Annahs voice than mine.”

If Savannah could have slapped him she would have. “Mandy said you’re thinking about moving here to Joburg?” All business she was.

“Considering it yes, if certain things pan out.” When he looked his way Klaue gave him a nod and a smile. “Big decision though and we’re wanting to make sure it’s exactly what’s right for us. I’m sure you know.”

She coughed politely after a long sip of her pink concoction, “Excuse me.” She coughed again, “Actually I grew up here and in the states so I don’t actually. But, I do know some of the best real estate companies in the city and I can get you in touch with an agent I highly recommend. She’s done wonders with my investment properties. I also know a few benefactors, myself included, of a very good independent school, city officials, all the best shops and restaurants.” She paused there to wink at Mandy. “My father has had his second office here since before I was born and I’d be happy to use any connections I have to help y’all make up your mind and maybe, hopefully get settled.”

Ulysses couldn’t take his eyes off her, it was a beautiful thing to watch, her wheeling and dealing.

“You know what? Now that I say all that… Lee was right. I’ve been up north for months. Why don’t I put together a little party at the house tomorrow night. Y’all can come, meet some of your new neighbors?”

The wife was eating it up. Shawn was skeptical but the lure of his business deal with Klaue and the potential behind Annahs name was too much for him to resist. “If you’re sure? That sounds like a lot of hard work just for two people you’ve barely met.”

Savannah pulled the straw from her drink and tipped it back, “Maybe, but any excuse for a party right? Besides, if I do this for people I just met, Imagine what I can do for my friends.” Without warning she wrapped her hand around Klaues bicep, “Come with me? I’m gonna go get another drink. Anyone else?”

They both shook their head no and Klaue let himself be pulled across the deck and back inside to the bar. Once there he tugged her towards him and pressed his lips close to her ear, “You are the most beautiful, amazing, gifted, most talented, sexiest, most terrifying…”

“Stop.” She shoved him away, but not far enough that he had to remove the arm he had finally got around her waist. “I feel like shit.” She waved at Tandie. “Those two are too innocent for this shit.”

“Innocent? Ha!” He pulled her closer again, “The wife maybe, clueless. But him, first of all he’s a politician. Second of all, he is stealing so much money from all his little business partners, you would never believe. Why do you think he wants to move hmm? How do you think he affords to stay here? Why do you think he is here to talk with me? Innocent. No. Clueless and ripe for the picking yes, but not innocent.”

She ignored him, pushing him away as Tandie approached, except this time she did knock his hand away. “Hey Tandie. Whiskey, rocks and a splash of water. I’m not picky.”

“You got it. For you Mr. Klaue?”

“oh nothing. I’m fine, thank you though.” He gave the young man a nod and a smile and turned his attention to Savannah once again. “I forgot how good you are at this.” Ulysses laid his hand on her bare knee and felt a shiver run the length of his spine. He leaned in close to her once more and let his hand slide up her thigh. “Brings back some good memories, yeah?”

This time she didn’t knock him away, not yet at least.

He reached over to her other knee and spun her stool so that her legs sat between his. “You could get the devil himself to sell you his soul.”

Her eyes wandered his face, his chest and arms and came to stop on the hand still holding her knee. She stood up, putting herself directly in front of him standing between his legs. Her bare thigh brushed against his slacks as she leaned forward to whisper in his ear.

His hand grabbed at her hip out of reflex and his heart began to pound as her warm breath caressed his ear.

She rested one hand on the bar and the other on his chest, the tip of one finger just barely touching the ink of the tattoo at his collarbone. He felt, heard and sensed her take a deep breath and let out a sigh against his earlobe. “I don’t want your soul Ulysses. I want your vibranium.”

He was frozen like an idiot as she pulled away, a smirk on her face and a whiskey in her hand, and walked back to the deck to rejoin their targets.

~~~~~~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter is when things start to get.. a little... shall we say, nostalgic?


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